What's In A Name? Your Name Is What I Want
by Willpayforkyouya
Summary: The sequal to What's in a Name? has finally arrived. Ritsuka's sudden missing ears have caused somewhat of a distrubance at his school but things will only get rockier when Soubi reveals his true motives for sleeping with his Sacrifice.
1. Painless

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**_Painless_**

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"Hey, did you see that Aoyagi-kun's ears were gone?"

"Really? I didn't notice!"

Ritsuka twitched as he felt eyes boring into his retreating figure. It wasn't as if he asked for this sudden attention…it was simply a walk down the hall!

Then again, anyone who lost their ears would be prone to sudden rumors immediately following the day after they were gone. The realization had came to him too late to be of any use to him at that moment…it hadn't occurred to him to purchase false ears on his way home the other night.

_I did nothing wrong…_he thought, digging his hands into his pockets as he sped up his pace, hurrying farther down the hallway of the high school, wanting to get to the privacy of the roof as soon as he could. At least up there he would be able to hear himself think and would no longer be prone to prying eyes and whispers.

True he was only sixteen years old but strangely enough…there were very few students who had lost their ears at this age. Yuiko still had hers, Yayoi still possessed his, most of his class even kept their own throughout the years.

Maybe that was why it was such a hot topic among the other students…

Then there was the final thought...who made him loose his ears?

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Winter was growing bolder and bolder with a chilling atmosphere that made Ritsuka shiver as he stood upon the full exposure of the rooftop. Being the brilliant person that he somehow managed to become, he had forgotten his coat, which had been shoved into the depths of his shoe locker upon his arrival and now that the halls were lined with students during their lunch break, he was trapped without a coat.

At first the chilly air felt pleasant compared to the oven that was the school with the cranked up heating system…but now the welcome cool air had lost its luster and Ritsuka wanted to retreat back inside.

Removing his hands from his pockets, he folded his arms across his chest, holding his school uniform blazer closed about him. Ever since he had gotten into the high school the students had been required to wear uniforms, in spite of the fact that they didn't need them when he was in grade school. The concepts confused him and they didn't insulate worth a damn…

The Sacrifice sighed, his shoulders shaking with the little improvement as he advanced towards the edge of the roof, peering down upon the students that braved the cold down below. They crawled across the grounds at a snail's pace, tails shivering and ears firmly down against their heads. The wintry air was always irksome, it always chilled his ears without mercy…it was strange not to feel that icy cold touch above his head now.

Risking his warmth, he absently reached up, pressing his hand firmly atop his head where his ears had once been…nothing but hair and the slight bumps that were where the cat appendages once protruded…Soubi had these bumps too…

…Soubi…

He had almost forgotten about the Sentouki…if that had been possible.

The night they made love for the first time was an awkward experience but Ritsuka had felt closer to Soubi then they had ever mustered before…but when he had begun to scratch at the strange mark upon his chest…Soubi appeared rather upset.

Just feeling the bumps upon his head seemed to make him uncomfortable all of a sudden…he hadn't expected to see Soubi look so distant all of a sudden. He lowered his hand, wrapping his arms about himself again as he crouched down upon his haunches, turning his back on the view from the school's roof.

As he thought about Soubi, the memories of their first night together crept perversely into his mind and he shivered. The warmth of Soubi's large hands that ran up and down his arms and over his body so delicately…he felt fragile in his arms that night…but he wasn't about to inform the Fighter that any time soon.

"Soubi…"

Words…he wanted his words. That spellbinding voice to whisper against his human ears now that the catty appendages had disappeared…he wanted phrases to spill into him and course through his body like blood through his veins and stay there, locking away into his heart where they wouldn't escape.

Squeezing his upper arms tightly, Ritsuka trembled where he crouched into his miniscule warmth for what felt like ages. An eternity of loneliness…until something spread around him and a comforting warmth pressed into his shoulder and his body. The scent of strawberries and feminism was all he could smell with his numbing nose and he managed to peek off to the side at the girl kneeling on the rooftop, her arms around him and pressing down his own coat over his shoulders.

"Yuiko…"

"Ritsuka-kun…don't be sad…I don't like seeing you sad." She said, squeezing him tighter.

The Sacrifice winced, unnoticed.

It was amazing that Yuiko was embracing him like she was…even though he had turned her down when she had declaired her love to him the other day…in fact, it was the same day he had lost his ears with Soubi. How could it have felt to tell someone that you love them and then be turned down immediately…only for them to appear at school the next day without their ears?

Yuiko knew that Soubi was the one responsible for his missing ears…he knew that she knew…and yet she brought him out his jacket to him and was trying to warm him. Perhaps…this was just the way a girl loves someone. Gentle to the person that had turned her down even though it may have hurt on the inside…

_Yuiko…has grown up a little since I last saw her…_

Ritsuka managed to muster a small smile and Yuiko noticed it right away, releasing him and grinning as he pulled his arms through the sleeves of his jacket and zipped it up, encasing himself in warmth at last.

_I'm sorry…Yuiko…I let you see me in a pitiful state._

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Ritsuka winced as he removed his uniform shirt, lightly touching the bandages that were wrapped about his upper torso, he could see spots of blood where the wound had re-opened again from his daily movement.

_Mother…you probably will not be able to forgive me for my sin…_

It happened after he had returned home from Soubi's the night he had lost his ears…his mother was waiting for him. Ritsuka did not even have a chance to retreat to his room and be able to call out to her from the safety of his locked door. No…Mother was waiting up for him that night.

When Ritsuka entered, she appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, one hand holding onto a kitchen knife that she had been using to chop up garlic to use on making a late dinner for Ritsuka and herself. She was beginning to mention his surpassed curfew when she noticed that something was different about her stranger of a son…

_Ritsuka…what happened? Where are your ears?_

The teenager sighed softly as he remembered how innocent those words sounded at first…she sounded inquisitive and nothing more…but when he did not answer her, she was upset. He had upset her again and this called for immediate punishment that he convinced himself that he deserved. Ritsuka knew it would be painful…but it was what he believed to be what he deserved. It was atonement…

_That's dirty! My Ritsuka doen't do such things! Dirty! You're Filthy!_

_M-Mother!_

He remembered the cold gleam of the kitchen knife and the swift slice of his flesh as it glanced over his side, tearing his uniform shirt and slicing the skin…shallow…but severe enough damage that was still not complete without the sprinkles of tiny bruises made by her slender fingers over his arms. Those alone would never have paid the full price…the price that Loveless had burdened him with.

Peering down, he lightly ran his fingertips over the red mark that had appeared upon the center of his chest. It was strange to see the broken heart forming…but he couldn't bring himself to cover it up when he had dressed his wound the previous night. He was curious about the mark of his name…

He sighed solemnly, draping his shirt over the back of his chair and peering over at the homework pile neatly stacked on the corner of his desk. He had to finish it by Monday…but at the moment…he had to find another shirt to replace his former one.

"I'll have to apologize to her again…" he murmured as he removed a roll of bandages from his desk drawer. Over the years he had noted that he had to keep a first aid drawer handy so that he would have ways of tending to his wounds without troubling his parents or going to the hospital and risking questions he would not be able to answer.

Ritsuka sank down upon the edge of his bed, unfastening the little metallic catch that held the bandages together so that they would not unravel in the drawer. He unrolled the fabric slowly, his eyes scanning over the tiny stitches weaving in and out of one another to make the cover-ups that tucked away his healing wounds.

_How much longer will it be before this will become simply one more scar?_

Craning over, he reached for the scissors inside of the drawer but immediately flinched away as the wound stung severely and made him cringe from the sharp pain that reminded him of the dinner knife and the bits of garlic that had been stuck to the blade from his mother's preparing a late dinner when he returned home.

Cupping his palm over the exact location gingerly, Ritsuka sighed, the bandages lying in a wad in his lap as he allowed the pain to throb. He let it cut through his flesh and pierce every nerve in his body like electric shocks that reverberated through him, it was all he could do. Simply wait it out until the pain numbed every nerve and allowed him to ease back into his ebbed stature that he managed to stay in earlier.

He gripped the fabric of his uniform pants, fingers catching hold of strips of the bandages. The teen tilted his head back, eyes shut so tightly that he could have felt the hot tears streak one glistening trail each down his cheeks before simply dropping out of existence if all of his senses had not been distracted by the pain of the unconsciously made wound.

Comfort…he wanted comfort. He wanted words…words of comfort…soothing tones rich with a deep baritone pitch that resonated through his body with the same intensity of his stinging nerves.

"Sou-bi…"

Let the nouns and adverbs spark up those charring flames again if that was what would happen, he wanted those phrases and unconscious sonnets to fill his head and push away the reminders of the pains of home. He wanted the sensation of flames…the heat of Soubi's body that he could curl into as if her were a child again…that desire for the Fighter's touch was enough to scorch him…but electricity was deadlier…

Gritting his teeth, Ritsuka pushed the bandages out of his lap, watching through one squinting eye as they flopped upon the floorboards, useless strips of cloth that couldn't ease the pain any faster. They were only there to hide the source away…

The Sacrifice slowly stood up from his bed, shuffling over to his closet. He had to hide it…if he left it in visibility…someone would see it. If Soubi came to the window…

Removing a high-necked sweater from the depths of the closet, Ritsuka managed to pull it on over his head, struggling to push his arms through the sleeves as he choked back a painful cry. The dark fabric drowned him out with black threads that sagged a bit over his already ebon slacks. He almost thought he resembled Seimei in a way but the thought only whizzed through his mind, the pain returning to the top priority. It was somewhat lesser though…

Slowly returning to his bed, he carefully sat upon the mattress and laid back upon the sheets, careful not to lay upon his side and also pulling the cell phone from his pocket.

The movement was regrettable…

At least the phone was out and the Sacrifice found himself calling the Sentouki before he realized that he had pressed the speed dial buttons to call him.

"_Ritsuka?"_

The Sacrifice made a painful and yet startled cry as he realized what he had done.

"_Ritsuka, what's wrong?"_

He had heard it…he heard the pain…

"I-It's nothing." He said.

"_Then why did you call?"_

Ritsuka grimaced. Soubi didn't usually ask him why he called…then again Soubi wasn't aware that his Sacrifice was deeply in love with him before.

"You told me…th-that I could call anytime!" he snapped in his defense, "You didn't say I had to have a reason behind it! If I need a reason every time I need to call you then why did you say I could call you anytime!"

"_Ritsuka…you're hurt again, aren't you?"_

The teen froze, eyes wide.

"_Where are you? Are you at home? I'll come to get you."_

How…How could he sound so calm? Why was his voice so calm on the other end of the phone? The Fighter was a phone call away so it may have been possible to sound indifferent when he didn't see the Sacrifice himself. What would he do if he saw the wounds anyway?

"I'm fine. Forget I called." He said bitterly through grit teeth and pressed the "end" button before any more words could pour out of the phone. _You drive me crazy…I want to hear your voice…but when I hear it, I feel sick. You make me feel sick…_

Covering his face with a hand as he supported his side, he rolled over onto his other side, his back to the window.

_It's disgusting how much I love_ _you..._

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A/N

((And there you have it! The first chapter of my attempt at the sequal to _What's in a Name?_

I hope that I can live up to the expectations that have been made by the readers of my previous fan fic. I'll try my best to not disappoint you all! Please revieiw and I'm open to suggestions for thickening the plot a bit. Sometimes my ideas are kind of cliche or dry in some areas...so suggestions are welcome!

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...whenever that will be...))


	2. Truthless

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_**Truthless**_

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Soubi frowned down upon the empty pack of cigarettes he had removed from his pocket. He couldn't recall when he had smoked the last few that were contained within the crumpled packaging but it was obvious that he was out now and would be for quite some time…

"Soubi-kun!"

He crushed the carton further in his hand as he peered up at the cheerful Yuiko as she hurried up to him, the scarf about her neck coming unwrapped from her constant activity and ears perked with her enthusiasm as always. It seemed that whatever it was that had made her seem a little solemn recently, had passed and she had returned to her old self.

Seeing Yuiko there, reminded the fighter of the night he had smelled her on his Sacrifice's clothing…the night that he had hoped on obtaining Aoyagi's name…but it didn't happen. No, it was a hope bribed upon him by his former teacher, a lie that had made him dare to imagine a name across his body that linked him to the teenager…

"It's been a while, Yuiko."

"Yeah!" she nodded, clasping her hands behind her back and smiling up at him in her usual cheerful light. "You haven't been coming to pick up Ritsuka recently…did something happen?"

The Sentouki lowered his eyes, opening his fingers to peer down upon the crushed cigarette pack that rested in a crumple on his palm.

"There is…somewhat of a problem." He said quietly, lowering his hand and pocketing the package briefly. "But it isn't something you should concern yourself with. Ritsuka and I will be able to handle it."

"Oh…ok." She nodded a little but her eyes revealed obvious concern for a moment. "But, I think that Ritsuka will be happy to see you! He's been dealing with a lot of rumors from our classmates after all!"

"Rumors?"

The high school girl tilted her head somewhat to the side, peering up at the adult in what was apparently a look of surprise mirroring Soubi's.

"They are curious about Ritsuka's ears." She said, her own fuzzy appendages drooping as she lowered her eyes to the pavement, "He lost them so suddenly, they wonder if he was…well…"

Soubi held up a hand, revealing that he had heard enough and the hand gently touched the top of her head, patting the pink strands of her hair a moment before he heard hurried steps and managed to turn about in time to catch the arm of the teenager that had walked so swiftly past him.

Immediately, the teen came about and looked right up at the Fighter with familiar violet eyes that flashed dangerously the moment they met the calm blue staring right back at him.

"Ritsuka! You were going to leave without saying goodbye?" Yuiko asked, pouting as she recovered quickly from her rather serious composure. "How mean…"

"I have to get home…there's some things I have to do." He said, eyes rolling away from Soubi's quickly and focusing upon the high school girl instead. "I'm sorry. I can't walk with you today, Yuiko."

She immediately shook her head, holding up her hands as the color rose over her cheeks a bit. The on-going pigtails flailed about in her rapid head movement and the matching hue managed to cover up the flustered face before she turned away and hurried up the sidewalk a few steps.

"Ritsuka, Soubi-kun! I'll see you later!" she called, spinning about and waving to them when she was far enough for the color of her cheeks to not be too noticeable.

"W-Wait for me! Yuiko-san!"

Ritsuka's attention went to Yayoi as he scrambled beyond the gate, his shaggy hair that he had recently cut in attempt to appear more appealing to the clueless girl, whipped about, making him groan as his own bangs stung his eyes. The sight was amusing in away…watching Yayoi dash up the pavement while trying to hang onto his glasses while fending off his own hair at the same time.

"Shall we go, Ritsuka?"

Soubi rest a hand upon the teen's shoulder and he immediately froze up, his fingers tensing at his sides as his fighter's warmth seeped through the very fabric of his coat. It wasn't fair that he always warmed him over so easily. Did all people in love experience these strange rushes of warmth, or was it just his?

Closing his eyes, Ritsuka lowered his head, reaching up and touching the hand upon his shoulder stiffly, his other hand clenching into a fist. He lightly curved his fingers about Soubi's but didn't hold the Sentouki's hand for long. Upon noticing the fact that they were still in front of the high school, he released the warm hand and shrugged away the touch hesitantly.

"Yeah…let's go."

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_How did I end up here?_

Ritsuka swallowed as he sat down upon the edge of Soubi's bed, the neat bedspread now creased about him from his miniscule weight. He watched the Fighter cautiously as he cleaned up a few paintings that had toppled over, all of them natural with watercolor to oil paints that colored them in amazing shades that made it hard for the Sacrifice to focus on his Sentouki alone.

"Yuiko told me…about the rumors spreading throughout your school?" Soubi confronted Ritsuka, slipping his fingers into his pockets while pressing his palms against his hips; waiting for the teen's response.

"What about the rumors?" he asked cautiously.

Stepping closer to Ritsuka, Soubi lowered himself upon one knee, "If there are rumors spreading, these rumors are questions, and these questions bring up the fact that you have not told anyone about myself or the fact that you have a lover."

"H-How can I just tell people about you—about _us_?"

Soubi leaned closer, tilting up Ritsuka's face a bit so that he could catch at least a glimpse from the teen. "So…then I am your secret?"

Ritsuka grit his teeth, glaring at Soubi.

That glare, unknowing to the Sacrifice, sent an electrifying shock through the Fighter that made him touch the teenager's thighs without thinking, leaning in so close that he was almost able to brush his lips over Aoyagi's.

The movement caused Ritsuka to lean away from the Fighter Unit, his eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the man. "Don't."

His voice was firm…commanding.

Soubi obeyed, lowering himself back to his former position before standing up again.

"I love you, Ritsuka."

The teen paled, his eyes wide as he stared up at the man.

_That's right…I told him…about how I felt…_

"Soubi—"

"I love you."

The Fighter's hands cupped his face in them.

This gentle touch was all it took…but Ritsuka believed that Soubi already knew the effect that his words had over him. His hands…the bare touch of his skin was all it took to bring back every single memory of the night that they had shared together upon the very same surface the Sacrifice was seated upon. Soubi ran his fingers down to the teen's jawbone, the digits slowly smoothing over the curve of Ritsuka's face, disappearing back into his hair.

"I love you, Soubi." Ritsuka breathed without thinking, his body leaning towards the source of this touch and he felt his head bump against the Sentouki's chest as he stepped up closer to him. Hands managed to relocate themselves, wrapped about the Sacrifice as his own arms rose to meet the waist before him.

The man's chest rose and fell in a deep sigh that carried Ritsuka with it. A hand ran over the earless Aoyagi's head soothingly as the Sentouki pondered a moment; savoring the touch as he considered his reflections.

_I have not heard from that teacher in some time…should I tell Ritsuka? Is he ready to hear about it?_

"Ritsuka…"

Lifting his head from the fabrics of his shirt, Ritsuka peered up at Soubi with a quizzical expression across a flustered face. It was cute…he was adorable.

"What is it?"

Soubi shook his head, pressuring the teen's shoulders until he lie back against the mattress, the man climbing on over him and peering down at the Sacrifice.

"It's nothing." He murmured, stealing the youth's words that he had used so many times before.

Descending his lips upon the Sacrifice's for the first time since the night Ritsuka had stayed with him, Soubi's thoughts still lingered in the back of his head.

As he removed the Sacrifice's shirt, a solemn thought crossed his mind.

_I have to tell him…the reason why I wanted him to lose his ears…_

The hands clinging to his back, nails biting him through the thin layer of fabric that was his own shirt made him want to call out to the Sacrifice, but the train of thought still whispered like a ghost in the very back of his mind.

_Ritsuka, you're so adorable…but…I'm sorry…_

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_A/N:_

((Yeah, this is the second chapter. I had a lot of trouble writing this one because I'm a bit sleep deprived and a lot has been going on so the quality may have depleted a bit this time. Also, my plot is at risk since I am loosing more and more time that I used to have to write. Sorry, but I might have to close off this fan fiction soon, unless someone wants me to keep trying to write it. Reviews would be nice...but it is only a nice gesture that fuels my writing. I'll try to beef up the chapters the further I get. Please keep reading and reviewing.))


	3. Nameless

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Nameless

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"Your symbol is becoming more prominent."

Ritsuka peered up at Soubi as the fighter's fingers lightly trailed over the broken heart peeking through his bandages.

"Yeah, I was expecting to see a name like yours form somewhere…." Ritsuka murmured, recalling the sacrifice of the female zero explaining to him that she had asked him where his name might have shown up. But it didn't show up back then. Why did it show up now?

Soubi frowned a little upon mentioning of a name found somewhere…it was a reminder of the fact that his name was still the same. However, now was not the time to tell Ritsuka about that detail, for now he was eyeing the bandages that Ritsuka had wrapped about him, only allowing his symbol to peer through the white strips.

"Ritsuka, how did you get hurt?" he asked, carefully laying his palm flat over the Sacrifice's stomach, cautious in case the wound in question was anywhere near where his hand lay.

The Sacrifice swallowed; cautiously propping himself up on his elbows, the dull sensation in his side managed a sharp jolt through his nerves before he managed to relax a bit. Thankfully the pain was ruled out from…earlier experiences…that left him feeling tired and rather numb with relaxation. A relaxation that was in question once Soubi had asked about his bandages.

"I was clumsy when I was coming down the stairs at school." He said, trying to come up with a good explanation, "I landed on the stairs funny and now I have a large bruise on my side."

He waited, alert and ready for the moment when the Sacrifice would reveal if he believed him or not.

Pushing himself up on one elbow, lying on his stomach still, Soubi lightly ran his knuckles down the side of Ritsuka's face and the Sacrifice felt himself blush a bit as memories of their previous actions came rushing back at full force.

"That's why you kept pushing my hands away earlier…" the Sentouki said; his voice quiet and carrying on a slight husky tone.

"It hurts when it's touched." Ritsuka said, averting his eyes.

Looking at Agatsuma was becoming hard to do. The Fighter may not have realized it as greatly as the Sacrifice did, but both of the males were still lying on Soubi's bed, their only cover being Soubi's sheet since the comforter had been unconsciously kicked away earlier. And now as they lay there, Ritsuka still on his back, propped up on his elbows, Soubi on his stomach, one arm folded and propping himself up enough to peer up at Aoyagi. Both still laying there…the teen unable to look at the adult.

Soubi might not have been aware of it, but he was looking rather tempting—in a fan girl's imagination mostly—with his lengthy hair tousled, strands slinking over his broad shoulders as the sheet was pulled down a bit by gravity so that, if he looked again, Ritsuka would have been able to see the man's lean muscles and see traces of the lash marks that had managed to peek over his shoulders and trace pale lines in cross hatching over his back.

"Hm? Ritsuka?" Soubi blank, tilting his head a bit as he noticed that the Sacrifice was looking away and blushing.

"I-I need to get going. My mother's expecting me to be home on time today and I can't make up the excuse that I'm staying over at Yayoi's house ag—"

The Sentouki had reached over and curved his fingers about the back of the teens head, craning his own neck so that he could reach the slightly parted lips. Any more words that were going to come from this mid-sentence forming mouth were gone as Soubi pressed his own lips over Ritsuka's again. Neither of them could keep count of how often this occurred even if they wanted too…but no matter how many times it happened…it still made Ritsuka's heart skip a beat.

Parting a bit, still so close that his breath still caressed Ritsuka's mouth, Soubi caught a firm hold on the Sacrifice's eyes with his own.

"Is there something…you want to tell me, Ritsuka?" he whispered.

"W-What do you mean?"

Soubi touched Ritsuka's bottom lip gently, trailing it down to his chin and then down his neck…over the bandages until he reached the teen's side in question.

"About this…" he said, lightly pressing his fingers down on it and the teen winced before the pressure eased again and he saw the Sentouki's fingers again. "…and the fact that it is not a bruise."

A crimson smudge covered the man's fingertips…blood…Ritsuka's blood…

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Zipping up his jacket, Ritsuka sighed, leaning back against the door to the Fighter's apartment.

He had left in a hurry again…but not before telling the fighter the truth behind the bandages.

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"_Your mother?"_

"_Yes…she wasn't happy about my ears missing so suddenly." He said, lowering his eyes, "She doesn't trust me anymore…"_

_She never trusted him in the first place…not since the real Ritsuka had vanished._

"_Why didn't you come to me?" Soubi asked; puzzled by the fact that his assumptions had been true all these years but the Sacrifice had never told him, nor had he commanded him to do anything about it._

"_I have to go home now." The teen said, turning and heading for the door as he pulled on his jacket._

_A hand touched his shoulder, "Ritsuka…do you want me to stop her? I can stop her if you want…I will even kill her if that is what will make it all stop…"_

"_Shut up!" he shouted, "Don't ever say anything about killing Seimei and my own mother! Never say that again!"_

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He had left in a hurry after that moment. The moment he shouted at his lover, he ran for the door and now here he was…standing in the cold winter air; the Sentouki's final words echoing in his head.

He didn't confirm his command.

He didn't say that he loved him.

For the first time he could recall, the man's words did not come to make his stomach lurch or his chest tighten with the pains of submittance to the intoxicating melody of his voice. The letters did not leave his lips, those final syllables that would have made everything alright between them again. Soubi's words were spells and they always cast well on Ritsuka, just one confirmation of his order, a single word from his mouth would have made him stay for all eternity, his offer forgotten.

Hugging himself, clinging to his arms, Ritsuka wanted to forget the man that had been wrapped all about him only an hour ago. He wanted the touches and caressing hands to disappear, freeze away in the wintry atmosphere and never be felt again.

"You could have fixed it." He said weakly as he descended the stairs down to the sidewalk.

On the pavement he cast a glare up towards the Sentouki's door.

"YOU COULD HAVE FIXED IT!" he shouted, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes shut so tightly that two tears managed to make a damp trail each down his cheeks.

His feet propelled him forward and he was flung into a sprint up the sidewalk, his body wanting to put the apartment as far behind him as possible at that moment. But his heart was still there…still on the doorstep with one little message left over from his brain, a thought that didn't reach him mentally but stabbed right into his heart like a pushpin posting up a notice on a bulletin board.

_It's almost as if…he **wants **me to be mad at him…_

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"Ritsuka, will you be eating with us tonight?"

The teen paused at the second stair, peering over at his father; who was standing in the entrance of the kitchen with a hand on the doorframe and watching his son with a rather cold stare in spite of his seemingly normal question.

"I'm not hungry right now. I'm going to go study for a test I have tomorrow. Please tell Mother that I'm sorry." He said, dropping his hand from the railing and silently ascending the stairs to his room.

In the time it took him to run from Soubi's apartment to his front door, the teen had to take even longer to regain his composure before he even dared to enter the house.

Within these walls he had to be as similar to the real Ritsuka as he could, even though he preferred to stay the way he was now. The real Ritsuka could sleep forever for all he cared, as long as he was certain that he wasn't about to loose the one person he managed to tell he loved. He didn't want four years of struggle to confirm the emotion and finally express it to all be in vain and the real Ritsuka would destroy all of his efforts after one day.

Making sure his door was locked, the teen retreated to the edge of his bed, preparing to sit upon it…but he stopped himself and stared down upon the sheets. The sheets reminded him of what he had been doing in the last two hours…

He moved away from the bed, sitting on the floor and pressing his back against the glass of the sliding door leading out to the tiny balcony. The same balcony that Soubi had entered and exited through so often in the past days when he was only a child and the man was still just in college.

It was better then remembering sex.

Drawing up his knees, Ritsuka nestled his forehead against them and wrapped his arms tightly about his legs, shrinking into a lump against the glass as his hair tickled his face. His hands were trembling again…he wasn't sure if it was anger that Soubi had offered to kill his mother or if it was the thought that made him wonder if Soubi had intentionally angered him.

If he did it purposefully…why did he?

A familiar ringing in his pocket made him explode from the compact ball he had made himself into, his hands digging into his pockets feverishly until he managed to withdraw the cell phone and flip it open.

"Soubi!" he clung to the phone, waiting for the Fighter to speak.

"_Ritsuka…you left so quickly…"_

There was something wrong. Soubi sounded like he was saying something against his will.

"Are you alright?"

"_Don't worry."_

"I AM WORRIED!"

He heard a soft chuckle but it didn't last long.

"_Ritsuka…you left before I could bring myself to say it."_

"Say what?" Ritsuka tensed up, the phone creaked in his tight grip and he tried to relax his fingers but they only began to tremble, forcing him to tighten them again so that he could hold the phone steady.

A sigh was breathed into the phone and Ritsuka pressed it closer to his ear.

The Fighter finally spoke again.

"_I had…ulterior motives for sleeping with you."_

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A/N:

Well, he told him...

I started working on the next chapter already so maybe you won't have to wait very long for the next one. I can't make any promises though so all I ask is that you please continue reading my fan fiction until the end. Even if the characters begin to sound...unlike themselves.

I hope no one minded the fact that they slept together again so soon, I just wanted to make Soubi have a bigger hole dug for himself when he told Ritsuka his secret. It makes things more dramatic and, hopefully, a better fan fic.

Please review.


	4. Ruthless

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_**Ruthless**_

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"_I had ulterior motives for sleeping with you..."_

The words hit Ritsuka directly in the heart and the teen nearly dropped the phone.

"W-What do you mean?"

"_I stole your ears…because of curiosity."_

"C-Curiosity!" he snapped back into the phone, realization making rage build up in his tone. "You mean…"

"_Having you tell me that you loved me was all I needed to act out on that curiosity."_

"W-What were you curious about?"

"_I wanted to see what you looked like without your ears."_

That was a lie. Soubi wouldn't have done something like that just to see him without his ears.

"You're lying!"

"_Ritsuka…"_

"Quiet! Tell me the truth! You told me you had ulterior motives for sleeping with me. Why'd you make me lose my ears? ANSWER ME, SOUBI!"

He didn't care how loud his voice was climbing…he only cared about the phone he was gripping and the man on the other end that was telling him one truth and all lies. What was it that he was hiding? What was the secret behind the ears?

The other end was silent.

"Soubi?"

"_Ritsuka, I wanted to have your name."_

"My name?"

"_I was told that if you lost your ears to me, then my name would have been changed."_

"So that's why you did it? I lost my ears…so that you could have the same name as mine?" Ritsuka asked, leaning forward, pressing the phone harder against his ear. "Did it change?"

Nothing.

"Soubi, did it? Soubi, Soubi…SOUBI!" he heard his voice falter and the phone snapped closed in his hands, his fingers gripping it as he slumped over onto the floor, his entire body trembling as he remembered the night it happened. Soubi had been so gentle…he embraced him so lovingly and the words felt so good coming from him. His declaration of love seemed to have meant so much that night, it meant a lot when he was with the Fighter back at his apartment.

Why was it…that now the words "I love you" didn't seem to matter any more?

"That…idiot…" he dropped the phone, his hands smacking against the sides of his head and pulling at his hair where his ears had once protruded. _Just…what **am** I to you!_

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Why was it that whenever Ritsuka felt troubled or sad…that the weather would always seem to coincide with him? This thought crossed his mind as he ran, his feet slapping the pavement as he scrambled about a corner, shutting his eyes for a moment as his house disappeared from sight behind him.

He didn't know how long he had sat there on the floor; staring down upon the floor where the phone was lying in the exact place it had dropped from his hands to. He didn't know if it had been hours or only minutes before he leapt up from the wood and tore out of his room. The words of his parents didn't reach him as he pulled on his shoes and bolted out the front door, his heel threatening to slip out of the sneaker as he ran.

The Sacrifice hadn't even remembered to grab his coat.

The winter stung him through the sleeves of his thin sweater and froze the back of his neck as he sprinted over the pavement, everything was abandoned back at the house, his coat, his phone, and his parents…all of them were left behind. All he wanted with him were his shoes and the promise of an explanation from the Fighter once he arrived at the man's apartment.

Or at least…that's what he hoped he would receive.

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Ritsuka fell against the door to the Sentouki's apartment, his hand fumbling to grip the doorknob but his numb fingers didn't want to comply with his orders to twist the knob. He gripped it, wondering if the know wasn't turning because the door was locked or if it was just his failure to grasp the handle. He wanted to get inside…but at the same time he was afraid of what would happen once he was across the threshold of the apartment's front door.

Pushing himself away from the painted wood, the Sacrifice shivered as he lowered his hand from the door and tried to calm himself just enough to manage entrance into the apartment.

Digits trembling, heart racing, and his breath heaving his chest from his mile run, the Sacrifice attempted to turn the knob…

The door swung open before him, revealing the Sacrifice the Sentouki's apartment once again even though he had left it not even three hours ago.

Soubi's paintings had toppled over, his phone closed but upside down against one of the opposing walls, his bed was still a complete wrinkly mess from their previous intimacy hours before. Everything had changed…but at the same time it was still the same.

Wondering in a few steps, the Sacrifice didn't remove his shoes as he wondered inside, peering about the single room with half-lidded eyes. At first his panting was all that he could hear and he touched his throbbing side where the slice in his skin was screaming in agony from the sudden activity that made his body go flailing into action for a straight mile before rest.

The pounding of his heart and the soft pants of his breath were suddenly interrupted as he caught another sound with his ears.

Water

He could hear running water inside of the artist's small bathroom.

_Could it be…?_

Ritsuka's feet suddenly pulled him towards the bathroom door that stood partially ajar, just enough for the teen to see steam beginning to cloud the bathroom into a very light haze. Had he looked down, he should have seen Soubi's clothes on the tile, but he didn't observe the floor as he pushed the door open the rest of the way, looking at the shower curtain concealing his Fighter from him.

_You reveal to me…that you slept with me for some strange reason…then you say that you wanted to change your name._

Ritsuka's panting stopped…but his heart was still bruising his ribs with its insane rhythm.

He walked in, stepping on the clothes without a second thought, crossed the tile through the haze of steam and his hand reached through the warm moisture. Such a humid feeling clashing against his frozen skin from his run back to the apartment. Yet Soubi was inside of the shower, warmed by the hot water and comfortable as a man could be when they were in a shower.

The teen grit his teeth as the rage returned to him, his numb fingers curled and un curled once before he made up his mind and before he knew it, he was pulling open the curtain.

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Soubi, who had been standing bent over partially with his hands pressed against the tile, his head bent into the gushing waters of the showerhead; jerked his head up in time to see the grimace of his Sacrifice's lips before he found himself pushed back against the wall, the shower curtain pressing against his bare skin as the teen flung himself into him and knocked him down.

The Fighter grunted and the curtain rings snapped from Ritsuka's weight as they slipped into the tub, Soubi wincing as his arm collided with the cold knob, his legs spread out wide with one over the edge of the tub while the enraged teenager was on top of him with the shower curtain partially in-between.

"YOU IDIOT! IDIOT, IDIOT, IDIOT, IDIOT, IDIOT! HOW CAN YOU JUST TAKE A SHOWER AS IF NOTHING WAS WRONG!"

The teen's voice rang through the small bathroom as Soubi reached up for the flailing arms, slippery from the water still pouring from the showerhead. He grasped the Sacrifice's wrists, stilling the arms immediately but as he held them he realized how cold the teen was in spite of the hot water. Had he just arrived?

"You moron!" Ritsuka cried, his voice faltering suddenly, his head bowed and hair dripping wet as he lifted it.

The Sentouki stiffened as the violet eyes met his; they were glassy and hurt…eyes that he hadn't seen on Ritsuka in so long. They were always calm or angry, but this time they were hurt and he had the look of a child's anger penned up inside.

"Ritsuka…"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your voice!" he shouted, his words bouncing off the tile sharply over the patters of the showerhead's droplets.

"Ritsuka."

The teen's teeth gritted together as he glared down at the man, his body trembling from the hot water clashing with his cold limbs, his hair was soaked along with his clothes, the water running down his face and dripping off of his chin. Had the situation been during any other moment, Soubi would have loved the way the Sacrifice looked on top of him. He almost felt ashamed when he imagined Ritsuka squirming beneath him a few hours ago.

"Why…why won't you ever just tell me the truth? It's always a secret with you…always." He said, his voice squeaking painfully as he forced out the words. "I told you I loved you…and even now…I hate the fact that I still do!"

Soubi released Ritsuka's wrists and the teen leaned forward, beating the man's collarbone feebly. "I hate it; I hate how sickening you make this feel! Love isn't love when you're the one it's connected to! It's nothing but an illness to me!"

"Ritsuka, I—"

"Soubi!" he grasped a handful of the man's hair, leaning further over him so that he was only centimeters away from his face, his wet bangs brushing over the Fighter's forehead. "Do you really love me…or is it still Seimei's orders as they have always been?"

He only stared up at him.

"ANSWER ME DAMNIT!" Aoyagi cried, tugging on the strands of blond hair, but Soubi didn't even wince. He stared up at the Sacrifice, a hand resting on the teen's shoulder and sliding up, tangling his fingers into the wet strands of his hair, but his grasp was not angry as Ritsuka's was. No, he only ran his fingertips over the teen's scalp lightly before pulling his head down.

Water splashed off of their bodies like raindrops off of a horizontal surface, the tiny specs of water dotted them like dew and the warmth of the liquid could not overpower the chill of the teen's lips as they were met by the moistened mouth of the man.

Holding the head stationary, Soubi felt Ritsuka's protesting hands lightly pushing at his shoulders, his own hair forgotten and untwined from the slender fingers. He held onto the kiss for a moment, slowly drawing his mouth away and looking earnestly into the teen's eyes.

"I love you, Ritsuka." He said, "I love you."

"Truly?" Aoyagi managed to ask feebly, his eyes crushed shut tight.

"Yes." He confirmed, "Loveless, one without love. As you are _in_ love, so you _are_ loved."

Could the teenager really trust those words? The words that were said over and over ever since the day they first made memories together? Were these words just the repeat of all of the confessions before?

He didn't want them to be.

Lowering his eyes, Ritsuka looked at the name covered in a sheen of water. "Beloved" displayed for him to seed so clearly…or wasn't it clearer?

Ritsuka stiffened, his fingers rubbing at Beloved's name to try and brush away the water but only more covered it with flecks of droplets until Soubi reached over and turned off the faucet, trying to see what it was that Loveless was trying to brush off of him aside from the water.

He pushed himself up as best he could, his naked body groaning against the tub as the water drained away, no longer lubricating the sides of the tub. The shower curtain crinkled between them as Ritsuka climbed off of the Fighter and stood on the bathroom floor, watching Soubi pull himself up until he could sit on the edge of the tub.

Grabbing a towel, Ritsuka threw it at him. "Cover yourself up…"

Soubi obeyed, draping the towel over his lap until it covered from his navel to his knees. Ritsuka grabbed a smaller towel, bending over and rubbing at the damp flesh at the base of Soubi's neck. The terrycloth felt warm against him after Ritsuka had pinned him into such an uncomfortable position with his cold body for so long. Not that he minded having Loveless on top of him.

"I can't see the "D"." he said, rubbing at the flesh some more, as if it would be revealed from some flesh colored layer of grime the man had neglected to wash off.

"What?" Soubi's eyes widened briefly.

Ritsuka jumped aside, his shoes squeaking over the tile just as Soubi jumped up, grasping the towel closed about his waist as he went to the little mirror over his tiny sink. He fingered his name experimentally for a moment, running his fingers over the letters but judging by the expression on his face…

"You're right." He murmured, though he didn't sound as surprised as he actually was. "The "D" of my name is gone…but so is a part of the "E" before it."

"What?" Ritsuka's eyebrows arched upwards.

Soubi turned to the Sacrifice, his fingers lightly touching the name "Belove" absently.

A smile slightly curved the man's lips.

"Ritsuka, I have proof." He said, approaching the teen.

Ritsuka swallowed, he didn't know when it was that his anger had dissipated…perhaps it was after the kiss, or when he thought about whether or not Soubi truly loved him or not. He watched Soubi come forward and then stand before him.

Reaching down, he peeled the Sacrifice's shirt upwards a little before peering into the teen's eyes.

"My…name…"

"_If a Sentouki loves their Sacrifice…and the Sacrifice loves the Sentouki…then the moment the love was completely expressed…the possibility of the changing of names…would be given."_

"I love you." Soubi said; resting his hand over the now prominent broken heart symbol on the teen's chest, and just above it, to the left…was a faint line of the letter, "L".

Ritsuka stared up at the man for a moment, his hands reaching up and lightly touching the remains of the name "Beloved" thoughtfully as the last traces of Seimei were fading away slowly from the Sentouki, though the rest of the letters would take time to fade as well. He could see a pale mark that was shaped strangely in the form of an "S" in place of the missing "D" now.

_My name…_

He paused his thoughts.

_No…**our** name…_

"I love you…Loveless…"

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A/N:

Thank you for your suppourt on this story. I'm debating on whether or not to let it end on this chapter or if I should give the story one more chappie and let it bump the rating to that of another "M" since we all secretly love those. However, I'm leaving this choice up to the masses. Please review and tell me if you would like one more chapter and whether or not you would like it to be Mature content or if I should keep it Teen.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please continue to suppourt me.


	5. Loveless

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**_Loveless_**

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He loved Ritsuka's spell. It may not intentionally be a spell, but it affected him just as powerfully as if it was one. A clever incantation was Ritsuka's words of love that broke Soubi and made him smile thoughtfully. He was thriving with the knowledge that someone could love such a cruel-hearted man.

They had spent so long lingering in the bathroom, observing the beginnings of their names that Ritsuka's limbs had time to thaw out and Soubi had the opportunity to finally dress while the Sacrifice, guilty for ripping it down in the first place, worked on replacing the shower curtain. He could feel his face burning as he balanced upon the edge of the tub, pinching the plastic rings shut about the little stretched out holes. The plastic crinkled feebly in his grasp and his arms felt heavy from the blood rushing down from his fingers; pulled by the unseen gravity.

"It's weird how I could be so angry with him before…and then he renders me into this uncomfortable state." Ritsuka mumbled, stepping down from the edge of the tub and observing the condition of his work. "He must have used a spell."

"I did not."

The teen jumped, jerking about as he saw the source of the manipulative voice leaning in the doorway, his hair still damp and darkening the already black fabric of his turtleneck. Glasses flashed in the tiny ceiling light as he offered a hand to Ritsuka, smiling at the Sacrifice.

"You calmed yourself, with no help from me."

This may have been true, but that didn't stop Loveless from reaching out and resting his hand upon the outstretched palm offered out to him. Soubi pushed off of the doorframe, guiding his lover from the bathroom and back into the decently spaced apartment.

"I can assume you ran here without a coat…and your parents don't know where you currently are…"

Ritsuka lowered his eyes; he hated it when he pointed out these little details so suddenly, especially fresh after he had enticed him into an awkward situation.

"It's your fault." He murmured, not bothering to look up at him. He could tell that the annoying smile would be curving his lips.

The knowledge that the Fighter's name was changing beneath the fabric of his sweater didn't change a thing. He was going to harness this annoyance at Soubi's constant acts of hiding things from him. The Sentouki would have to wait for snow in summer before he would cave in to him again.

Pulling his hand from the man's, Ritsuka shoved it into his pocket, the other following its example and submerging into the pocket. His fingers rubbed the lining against his thighs absently as continued to hold his gaze to the floor.

"Anyway, why were you in the shower?"

Soubi pushed his glassed up the bridge of his nose casually, folding his arms as he lowered his head a bit, "I wanted to be in the only place where I knew that I wouldn't be interrupted by the world outside. But…I believe that it is no longer a safe haven now."

Ritsuka flinched as the verbal knife lightly pressed into his back, only managing a tiny pinprick at the moment.

"Sorry." He mumbled, hunching a little and tucking in his chin.

The fingers of the Fighter stroked his jaw, sliding beneath his chin and turning his face up to him, the Sacrifice's eyes unconsciously following the movement and he found himself staring right into blue. This move, this conquering gesture…but…wasn't he supposed to be conquering the man? He was the Sacrifice, his word was law!

He opened his mouth, ready to snap out an order. But the syllable faded from his tongue and only came out as a struggled sound that resulted in his teeth clenching together and the abrupt jerk of his head from Soubi's fingers. The teen hated the way he became entranced by the eyes of his Sentouki. Iris so blue…they were the color of the butterfly wings displayed upon the wallpaper of his cell phone. So beautiful were the wings, and yet the man's gaze withheld such a deep frustration in the teen's breast.

Loving him was making him feel worse and worse…and yet he didn't want to stop loving him. Soubi was Ritsuka's unfortunate addiction that could not be cured in a rehab or an abrupt deprivation of cold-turkey. His days were not rocky but they were dreadful, even more dreadful then whenever he had Augatstuma in his presence.

Hearing the murmur of his name on the Sentouki's lips called him back to the little apartment and the fact that they were standing in one another's presence. Soubi with his hair damp, Ritsuka still stuck in his soaked wardrobe…

"You should dry off. You might catch a cold." Soubi said, indicating the tiny bathroom once again.

The man's arm wrapped about his shoulder and he could smell cigarettes weaved within the very treads of the fabric, cigarette smoke and then the masculine smell of Soubi.

Why was it that a man always had a man's scent and yet teenagers only had half of a man's scent? Men with their spicy, warm odor and little boys with a sugary, dirty fragrance, it made Ritsuka wonder if he smelled like a baby to his older lover.

"Ok."

He went to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him and leaning back against it, peering down at his saddened clothing and seeing that his sweater was like a second skin, the cotton fabrics pressed against his body to reveal any prominent detail. He peeled it off of him, approaching the tub and wringing it out into the basin.

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It took a moment or two to find a towel for himself, the terrycloth surprisingly large, even Soubi much have felt shrouded by a blanket within its depths, but it was definitely better then his cold and wet attire that was now hanging over the shower curtain rod.

Unwrapping the bandages, Ritsuka peered at the condition of his wound marking his chalky side.

It was healing much better now; the stab wound only a pearly pink scar now. A quick heal on his part. But what was the condition of his name? Sure, he had observed it with Soubi a few moments ago, but this time he was alone and was free to observe it all he wanted to.

The pads of his fingers pressed against the "L" carved by the invisible hand into his chest. His prominent broken heart making him wonder if his name truly belonged to him, just as Beloved had belonged to Soubi for so long, could his name change as well? Would someone ever overtake Soubi in his life? Could that have been possible?

Taking a second to sort out the towel, Ritsuka draped it about him. He folded the terrycloth over his arms, pressing his limbs down to secure that his nudity was well concealed. He didn't want the Fighter to get any ideas, for they had already made love hours ago before he had heard Soubi's secret. Just because he was naked and clothed in only a towel, didn't mean that Soubi would catch him off guard and seduce him again.

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Soubi had been looking over a few of his old paintings while Ritsuka was in the bathroom, his hair drawn up into a ponytail, the damp strands promising a wavy outcome once they air-dried. He peered over at the bathroom door the moment that Ritsuka emerged, shrouded in his big towel that Kiio had given him one time, claiming they could wrap themselves in it if he wanted.

At the time he disregarded it but seeing Ritsuka in it…he was suddenly in a sharing mood.

"I'm letting my clothes dry out right now. Do you have anything I can borrow until then?" Ritsuka asked.

_Are you still not going to look at me?_ Soubi wondered, ignoring the question.

He watched Ritsuka stand there, looking a bit uncomfortable in the towel in front of him. It wasn't much of a surprise to see him appear so nervous; Ritsuka could be so cute, especially when he was self-conscious. It was as if the twelve-year-old never grew up.

"Sorry, I don't have anything right now. They're all dirty."

That was a lie.

"I haven't gotten around to laundry. A lot has been happening."

Lying again.

"You mean I have to sit around in this until my clothes dry?" the teen asked, exasperated, his eyes wide with disbelief. Another overreaction that made the teen so cute…

"I'm sorry. But that is all you can do, unless you want the clothes I'm wearing." He pulled at the collar of his sweater, receiving Ritsuka's abrupt waving of his arms. The refusal allowed the Fighter to see a glimmer of the teen's collarbone as the towel parted a bit from his movement and lack of arms pinning down the folds of the towel.

"Just don't try anything." Ritsuka warned, firmly waving a banishing hand before retreating to Soubi's bed and sitting on the foot, drawing his knees up into the depths of the towel and hiding his face in the folds of terrycloth.

"I won't." He said in a quiet voice. _Because I do not have to _try_ anything. With you, Ritsuka, I always succeed…and that is what annoys you so much that you love me. You love me just as deeply as I love you, and it makes you sick. A strange emotion it turned out to be, is it not?_

Touching his chin, the man smirked, observing the way he could see the ball of soft cloth sitting at the foot of his bed, strands of damp, black hair spidering out over the folds until the hair reached its full length, unable to stretch out further.

Ritsuka was beautiful, he didn't have to see him to know this, but there was hardly a time when he was ever unappealing to him, since he was a child, to this vital teenage age of sixteen. An illegal love was the most dangerous but also the most passionate.

That was what their love was, even if Ritsuka didn't want to admit it. It was passionate fire and he wanted Ritsuka to burn with it as he did the day he confessed to him and those several hours ago when his detailed memory was refreshed by their actions that afternoon.

Abandoning his paintings, Soubi went to the teen and sank down beside him. He lightly rested a hand upon the arch of the teen's back.

"I love you, Ritsuka."

This pulled up the teen's head abruptly and his eyes were on him just as quickly. Wide with the sudden announcement and also the sudden presence right beside him on the bed, it was cute.

"Soubi…I told you not to try anything."

"I'm not trying anything." Soubi said, somewhat innocently but also carrying a slight husky tone in the base of his voice.

"Stop, whatever it is you're doing, stop. I don't feel like it." Ritsuka snapped, shrugging away Soubi's hand.

"Your pulse is quickening." Soubi whispered, "You can feel your heart beating to a new rhythm…one that you rarely experience."

"Stop it!"

It was working…his words had not dulled in the time spent between the battles of other Fighters and Sacrifices. Little did Soubi know was that he could have said "aardvark" and Ritsuka would have been under his spell. The complete incantations were pointless…but he used them.

"You're growing warm…"

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_Damn it, Soubi!_

He was using his spells against him…the damnable Fighter was using his intoxicating voice to bewitch him into a submission that was supposed to be reserved for the man himself!

"Soubi, stop using your spells on me, that's an order!"

This seemed to seal his lips for the moment. The man watching him with slightly arched eyebrows as he shifted uncomfortably where he sat. Great, another moment of awkwardness in between them. Perhaps they weren't meant to be together after all.

Well, if that was true, he was Soubi's Sacrifice. Soubi was his and he was also the Fighter's…even if he denied this could be possible. Ritsuka was always under the fingers of his Fighter unit. He wanted to be the one under him, not the one to give orders, for they were never followed.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Ritsuka glared at his Sentouki and before he gave the man a chance to react to the piercing gaze, he grabbed his face and roughly crushed his mouth against his. The sharp intake of breath from Soubi was a sure sign of surprise that the teen wanted to get but the hands suddenly pushing his towel open were not surprised.

This was all to get him riled up!

Pulling away sharply, Ritsuka groaned.

"Fine, have it your way." He growled and his eyes focused upon the man hard. "I want you to make me feel loved. Only when you're sure you can, will I let you touch me again."

Soubi looked over his face a moment…and leaned in, kissing him much gentler then when Ritsuka had crushed his lips against his in his rising frustration. Only this time, Soubi's hands didn't come prying. The mouth against his seemed to drain away his annoyance with each moment the sensitive skins touched.

Apparently, Soubi was sure.

Shutting his eyes, he savored the gentle touch of the Fighter's kiss.

Glasses never really did get in the way of anything…

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Lying back upon the bed, Ritsuka clutched at his towel, staring up at Soubi as he leaned over him, one hand braced on either side of him and his glasses once again finding a new home on the floor of the apartment rather then the Sentouki's nose.

"R-Remember what I said." He warned him.

"I know, Ritsuka…" he whispered.

Swallowing, the teen parted his towel, revealing his chest to the Fighter and watching his eyes for any type of reaction that may have looked like a sign of disappointment. But he didn't see anything like it, only Soubi's eyes touching him where his hands could not and then drifting up his body to his own eyes. They peered through one another's windows in silence; Ritsuka's heartbeat falling into such a rhythm with Soubi's that they could almost hear them pounding together.

"I love you…Soubi." Ritsuka managed to whisper, feeling silly when the words escaped him; making his cheeks flush slightly as he stared up at him.

This pleased the Sentouki and he caressed his Sacrifice's face, "I love you, Ritsuka."

Leaning down, he lightly passed his lips over his forehead, grazing them over his skin and pressing a little firmer against his temple. One of his hands found his shoulder and passed agonizingly slowly down his exposed chest, fingertips touching his flesh so lightly that it tickled. Ritsuka closed his eyes, allowing Soubi to kiss his face carefully while his fingers continued down his chest to the V where the towel shut up, concealing the rest of him.

There was no rush to get to this part.

The Sentouki still had his sweater to consider…

Lifting his head, Soubi kneeled upon the mattress, straightening and taking hold of the hem of his shirt. He pulled it over his head, the hair tousled greatly once the tight neck was relieved from his skull. He remedied it by pulling out the band and leaning back over Ritsuka, the strands of his hair brushing over his face as their lips met again.

Palm passing down the Sacrifice's arm, he gently took hold of his wrist and pulled up his hand, guiding it to his own flesh that was warm from the fabric still. His eyes closed as he parted his lips, Ritsuka's mouth opening as well and allowing him entry.

The warm moisture of one tongue meeting another in a delicate dance caused Ritsuka's hand to quiver on Soubi's chest, his nails lightly grazing the flesh before he managed to relax a bit again and his hand ran over the extent of Soubi's chest in an inquisitive pace.

Soubi lay atop of him and their mouths parted, harsh breaths from their labored but savored kisses making Ritsuka's panting sweet music in the man's ears as he felt the fingers entwining into his hair and the muscles of his neck tense as he met them with his lips. The Sacrifice's head tilted back, his neck stiffening, taught with the desire of more exposure to the attention it was receiving.

The weight of the Fighter went unnoticed, Ritsuka feeling the familiar sensation of an erection similar to his pressing against his thigh and making him quiver again, pulling his head back up to look down at Soubi's progress when he felt the glaze of moisture from the man's kisses move down to his collarbone. The pressure of the man's crotch was ebbed for the moment but Ritsuka winced as Soubi uncovered his scarring stab wound.

His trail of kisses had stopped as he stared at the pink tissue.

"I caused this." He murmured, touching it.

"Soubi…"

The man's eyes lifted to him and Ritsuka stared as he saw him lean down, still holding his gaze as the tip of his tongue ran over it.

"S-Soubi!"

Pressing a few fingers over his mouth, Soubi backed onto his knees again, crawling over Ritsuka and the Sacrifice immediately wrapped his arms about him, nestling his face into the nape of his neck.

He smelled the soap that he had used in the shower again…the masculine smell that issued from it made him groan again but this time it was very quiet and he hoped that Soubi hadn't heard it. Pressing his lips against the collarbone, he carefully peered at remains of "Beloved".

The "L-O-V-E" had vanished as well now. It only looked like a strange nickname tattooed upon his neck.

Grazing his fingers down Soubi's chest, to his abs, Ritsuka finally unfastened his Fighter's pants and peered up at him to make sure that there was no expression to make him wish he hadn't.

Soubi's eyes were closed and he seemed to be a little relieved now.

Pushing at the pants and whatever lie in between, he managed to wriggle them down as far as his arms would allow them to reach.

He wanted that close feeling. The feeling of being one with someone, a bond that few could truly treasure. But would Soubi make him feel loved? Or would he only be able to make him feel good?

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Somehow, the clothing was gone now, Soubi's hands passing down Ritsuka's sides and brushing away the last folds of the towel, exposing his beautiful Sacrifice to him once again. A sight that would never be old to Soubi. He loved the feminine appearance to Ritsuka and yet he also seemed to look much more mature now. Perhaps it was his orders that managed to fixate his gaze in a new light. He wasn't sure.

Ritsuka turned over and Soubi's hands ran over his back gently, cupping his shoulders and lightly grazing his nails over the male's stomach. He loved feeling Ritsuka tremble whenever he trailed his fingers along his spine so tauntingly sweet.

"S-Soubi…w-what are you—"

Resting his hand upon the small of Ritsuka's back, Soubi straightened and he positioned himself. Ritsuka feeling him preparing and swallowing the only saliva he had as his mouth grew dry with the worry of the pain that never seemed to fade away from his memory when they had first made love. But Soubi was going to enter him soon…and he wanted him to. There was nothing that would sever their connection and this was the only embodiment of that connection that they could make.

Closing his eyes, Ritsuka gasped as he felt Soubi quickly push into him, the movement jolting his body forward on his hands and knees. He pushed his hands into the sheets wrinkled around them, gripping them with his nails.

"Ritsuka…" Soubi seemed to have a somewhat struggled voice, "It's still tight…"

He exhaled heavily, trying to breathe out the pain that was not as horrible as the memory made it. Only a discomfort with the first thrust…it would pass.

With careful motions, Soubi began to rock with the teen, his hands never leaving Ritsuka to feel alone, the gentle, loving touches warming his back as the rocking of Soubi's hips bumped lightly against Ritsuka. Loveless' contained moans were choked out softly, his eyes only open slightly, closing over and over with the lessening pain and the increasing amounts of pleasure that was rising with each rhythmic movement.

Something threw off the Rhythm as Soubi stifled a sound, gritting his teeth as he closed his eyes, his pace suddenly gaining momentum that startled Ritsuka at first before he was overcome by the warmth of a rising friction. His mouth was dry, every nerve alive with the sensation of his body being rocked and touched.

Choking back a cry, Ritsuka released, feeling warmth rush into him the same moment that he climaxed into the towel that had once been concealing him. He felt a bit embarrassed for climaxing…but at least it was the same time as Soubi, the man believed to be inhuman.

Withdrawing from him, Soubi carefully shifted and lay beside Ritsuka, draping an arm about his shoulders and peering over at his face as he turned his head to meet the gaze. The Sacrifice's cheeks were flushed and the air had the smell of sex mingling about them but they didn't notice.

Purple stared into blue as the lovers lay still.

A few minutes passed…and Ritsuka curled up into a ball against Soubi, his forehead pressing against the man's collarbone and eyes absently staring at the man's bellybutton.

"Soubi?"

"Yes, Ritsuka?"

"Thank you…for falling in love with me."

A word of thanks from the Sacrifice to the Sentouki…was this a usual occurrence?

"You don't have to thank someone for loving you." Soubi said softly, lightly running his hand through Ritsuka's hair, "All you have to do…is love them back."

Ritsuka lifted his head a little and fingered the letters of the name displayed across the base of Soubi's neck.

"L-O-V-E-L-E-S-S…" the Sacrfice murmured, tracing the letters with his index finger. "One who is without love."

"A word is just a word…it is the voice that says it, that gives that word power. The combination of the right words, and the emotions behind them, hold the most power. However, it does not always have to be the same number of words for a spell." Soubi said, smiling a little. "And _your _spell…was _three_."

"_I…love you…"_

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A/N:

Well Kids, this was the last of the "What's In A Name: Your Name Is What I Want" chapters.

I apologize if it was not satisfactory. I tallied the votes in the reviews and Mature won over the others. Though a lot of people were indifferent...

I hope that you liked the story and that I kept the characters somewhat close to their true selves.

If not, once again, I apologize. But it's hard to match one's personatily perfectly.

Until next time...Please leave me one last review!


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